Machinations Without Honor
Machinations Without Honor is a series of encounters with the lykos Zilotis, presented from the perspective of those around him during key points in his quest for power. Story I Exusia, 1346 years before the Declaration The sound of a thousand marching feet roused the lykos kinsmen of the Second Paketo of Exusia from their slumber. What had once been a quiet city at first had become ablaze with activity as they readied themselves for whatever was to come. Any true lykos knew the sound of an army on the move when he heard one. And the approach of an army could mean only one thing. War had arrived at their doorstep. Mothers herded their children back into their homes, locking them inside as they moved to take arms with their husbands. It was dishonorable for any lykos capable of carrying a blade or of firing a bow to not stand in defense of their home unless ordered otherwise by the shaman or the High Father. Only the children, the pregnant wives and the injured were not summoned. Most lykos never made it to the age where they would be too old to wield a weapon. Those that did were challenged for their position and slain in honorable combat by younger, more capable warriors. The collective forces of the Second Paketo assembled on the walls and before the gate. Well trained scouts were sent over the wall and into the surrounding forest, seeking to locate and quickly assess the opposing army’s strength and size. Most would not make it back alive, fallen to the counter operatives of the attackers. But a few would, and their information would allow the Paketo to prepared accordingly. For a few tense minutes all within the fortress city was still. Someone coughed quietly. The scouts returned just under five minutes after they departed. Of the twenty that had been sent, six remained. Those six were ushered off to where the High Father waited for them in the war chamber, high above the city atop the secondary guard tower behind the third wall of the fortress. From this position the High Father could command his warriors with frightening efficiency, passing orders down to his field commanders using tiny rahi known as swiftwings, a small, easily trainable bird native to Exusia. They carried hastily written letters transcribed by trained secretaries, lykos born with deformities that prevented them from fighting but still with sound minds. They were an honorless class, but they were invaluable to the High Father. After receiving the information from his scouts, the High Father issued his orders. Each of the ten commanders below received specialized orders, detailing how they were to position their warriors. The rest was up to the commanders, unless the High Father decided to intervene. The attacking army emerged from the trees, flag bearers holding the banner of the Fourth Paketo high above the ranks. They formed up into a formation that could be loosely described as a phalanx, adapted by lykos strategists to better suit the terrain. The sound of iron being drawn from its sheath fills the air as both sides ready their weapons. Swords and battle armor glint in the moonlight. A torch was thrust into the air above the gate, the visual order for the archers to fit an arrow on the strings and draw back their bows. In near perfect unison they obeyed. The formation stopped short a few hundred meters from the edge of the wall. For the moment all was still and silent again. Then the commander holding the torch on the wall swung it forward, and arrows rained down upon the attackers. The archers of the Fourth Paketo returned fire. Hell fell upon them all. To be continued... II To be written... III To be written... IV To be written... Characters *Zilotis *Unidentified High Father of the Second Paketo